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Tuesday, October 13, 2015

ALOHA MAUI! Part 1

Aloha blog world! Nicholas and I just got back from Maui. I miss it already, and can't wait to return - although it's wonderful to be reunited with our Sophie.

Thought I'd share a few highlights from our vacay! This is a multi blog post series, so make sure you click the link at the bottom of each post to follow along on our complete journey!

Day 1.

Nicholas and I arrived Saturday night, and rented a supercharged 2015 Mustang for the week! By the time we got to our hotel room, it was almost 2am Vancouver time, so we totally crashed.

Come morning, we were up at 6am Hawaiian time and ready to tackle the road to Hana.

But first. Coffee. Kona Coffee.

For our first 3 nights - of our 5 night Vacation, we stayed at Kaanapali Beach Club, and had a 750 square foot ocean view suite on the 7th floor. Our bedroom and living room had access to the balcony, and with floor to ceiling windows, we couldn't get enough of our ocean view we woke up to.

After visiting the hotels breakfast buffet (which was amazing by the way), we took a quick stroll on Kaanapali beach.

And then we were off to explore the road to Hana!

First stop - Baldwin Beach.

This beach was beyond gorgeous. They had the northern swells that I loved, and if we had the time - we definitely would have stopped to boogie board here.﻿

The palms were so beautiful, and I could seriously nap all day in their shade while soaking up the ocean breeze.﻿

After a quick selfie, we hit the road again!﻿

Next Stop - Black Sand Beach

We actually attempted to stop at several other places prior to Black Sand Beach - if it wasn't for the tropical rain storm that down poured on our drive, and the hikes to many of the destinations were either closed as a result, or we would have had to get knee deep in mud. Since neither of us felt like getting too muddy, we were happy the storm cleared by the time we hit Wai'anapanapa State Park. By the time we reached this destination, wild chickens were crossing the road, and random fruit stands with honor systems were roadside.

And then it started to downpour again! However, the rainstorms in Hawaii are so much different than the ones in Vancouver. I loved the humidity and warmth of the rain. It was also kind of romantic, to be at such a beautiful destination while the rain fell on us. We did quite a bit of hiking here, and watched the larger swells break shore.

And then we made our way over to the other side of the beach to watch the Blow Hole go off when the larger waves hit shore. We were drenched from the rain, and now also from the blow hole spray.

Next Stop - Haleakala National Park, and the Seven Sacred Pools.

We were so wet, and the weather was crazy. One minute it was sunny, and the next it was raining. However, when we hit Haleakala National Park, the rain stopped long enough for us to explore. This was our only stop, where you had to pay to explore ($15 total). It was so worth it.

When we arrived, the ranger advised us that the pools were closed for swimming due to rough currents. Once we hiked down to them, we could see why.

We hiked for about 45 mins up the mountain with bamboo walking sticks. The mud was super thick and slippery, and I was in flip flops. After hitting the half way mark to the bamboo forest, we decided to turn around, as it was getting late and we still had to drive the windy Hana road back (and many of the hikers coming down were covered in mud from falling). We took a few more beautiful shots of the luscious greenery of Haleakala.

After we made it back to our hotel, changed and showered - we indulged in some buffalo wings and pizza and called it a night.